A lot of guys are worried that they aren't quite big enough when it comes to their penises. As a result, an increasing number of men are turning to pills, creams, pumps, and (sometimes) expensive surgeries in an attempt to increase their size, despite a lack of scientific evidence that any of these products and procedures are safe or effective. At least for straight guys, a lot of this penis anxiety is driven by the perception that women are supposedly clamoring for large penises, or that large penises bring women more pleasure. So what's the deal here? Is all of this obsession that men have about their size really warranted?

In a recent article over at Playboy, I discuss the results of a new study from the journal PLoS ONE that will likely put a lot of heterosexual men's minds at ease over this issue. In this study, women were presented with a series of life-size penis models. They were then asked to select which one they thought was most desirable in the context of both a casual and (separately) committed sexual relationship. The results revealed that the average penis size women thought was ideal was pretty close to, well, average. In other words, there really isn't good reason for most guys to be so worried about the size of their manhood.

While you're over at Playboy, check out my Hard Science column to learn more about the science of sex. Some of my other articles include:

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